Fantastic Finds Info

“Five more minutes and we go onstage,” the orchestra director informed the 60+ musicians waiting backstage.  The  racket of horns tooting, percussion players banging and strings sawing–all trying desperately   to polish a difficult musical passage  in the next 5 minutes– came to an abrupt stop.

“May I carry your violin for you,” a fellow section member asked.

“I would appreciate it.  I always worry about dropping it because I need my hands to control the wheelchair.  Thank you.”  I smiled as I choked back tears of embarrassment  because I needed such help.

Time was that I walked to my seat–like the other musicians.  Even though the female musicians were required to wear long solid black dresses, I managed to liven mine up with sparkly gemstone rings, a shiny zircon pendant and a  bracelet of  color changing zandrites.  As  time went on, I found it necessary to use canes.   But I continued to liven my attire with sparkly gemstones.   Later, my wheelchair needed to be left just back of the curtain.  Now, the wheelchair is my constant companion as I roll on stage, being careful not to run into a harp,  to manipulate around stands, chairs, and percussion instruments, praying that I will not demolish anything.  but But I am still raising my spirits with  sparkly jewelry on the solid black attire.  How embarrassing that would be!

Playing violin is  the love of my life!  When times are good, I thank God while playing.  When times are dismal, I send the feelings of dismay packing by playing my favorite  music.   I have played in the first violin section  of our community symphony orchestra since its beginning about 27 years ago.

I have wondered why God has allowed my walking ability to be taken from me.  I  don’t know most of the answer, but I think that part of it is that He wanted to teach me a valuable lesson.  I needed to learn about humility.  I needed to think about what is really significant to my life.  Is the use of my legs essential to being alive and well? Is it significant to my being proficient in my profession as professor, or to being a wife and a mother, or to my profession, or to the my passion for playing violin?   All that losing the use of my legs does to me is to make it necessary to be creative in learning different ways to still accomplish the things that are important to my life.

The  world famous  violinist, Ishtak Perlman,  could not walk, but his fingers moved like lightening across the violin strings! Playing violin and the other important things in my life do not really depend on the use of legs and feet, only arms, hands and fingers.  While I will never be a Perlman,  as a mediocre violinist, I’ve  learned that being crippled  does not interfere with my passion for making beautiful music.

I am 86 now.  Arthritis grips my hands and my fingers will not move as rapidly on the strings as they used to.  But I will always be ready to play in the orchestra, at church, or any other place that a mediocre violinist is needed. Each time I take the instrument out of the case, I thank God for giving it to me.  I also thank Him for allowing me to partially understand the blessings of being unable to walk.  So, I will just keep rolling along…rolling along…..and enjoying God’s gift of music!